State of Arizona Archives: on Crime

Deedra Abboud:
Community policing will decrease crime & tensions

Law enforcement history in the United States has had its ups and downs but the one method that has consistently worked is community policing. Knowing the community municipalities serve helps decrease crime and de-escalate tensions.
Adequate resources need to be provided for our police departments so that community policing can be reintroduced across the nation in order to avoid the situations we are hearing about all too often.

Doug Ducey:
Fully fund rape test kits, to finally ensure justice

Public safety will always be our top priority. We addressed an injustice long ignored: The backlog of untested rape kits in our state. The problem was so bad, we didn't even know how many existed. So we committed to fixing it, and already there have
been two indictments as a result of this important work. My budget fully funds the testing of all remaining rape kits. And we are ready to move forward with legislation requiring all future kits to be tested. Let's get this done, and for the thousands
of women who have been victimized, finally ensure justice.

My budget will also include an investment in improved cyber security. We couldn't accomplish any of these achievements around public safety without the work of our law enforcement
agencies throughout the state. We are truly indebted to the thousands of women and men who wake up every day and put on blue. Our cops, working 24/7 to keep Arizona safe, stop the bad guys, and hunt down the criminals.

Source: 2017 State of the State address to Arizona Legislature
Jan 9, 2017

Joe Arpaio:
Chain gangs and tents for inmates, and no smoking nor porn

Arpaio has between 7500-10,000 inmates in his jail system. In August, 1993, he started the nation's largest Tent City for convicted inmates. 2,000 convicted men and women serve their sentences in a canvas incarceration compound. It is a remarkable
success story that has attracted the attention of government officials and media worldwide.

Of equal success and notoriety are his chain gangs, which contribute thousands of dollars of free labor to the community. The male chain gang, and the world's
first-ever female and juvenile chain gangs, clean streets, paint over graffiti, and bury the indigent in the county cemetery.

Also impressive are the Sheriff's get tough policies. For example, he banned smoking, coffee, movies, pornographic magazines,
and unrestricted TV in all jails. He has the cheapest meals in the U.S. too. The average meal costs between 15 and 40 cents, and inmates are fed only twice daily. He even stopped serving them salt and pepper to save tax payers $20,000 a year.

Doug Ducey:
New legislation should require rape kits to be tested

Yet right now, in just Maricopa County alone, there is a backlog of 2,300 rape kits that sit in storage, uninvestigated. All across our state, women await justice, and predators evade the law looking for their next victim. Today, I signed an Executive
Order establishing a special law enforcement team to solve this injustice. My budget will allocate dollars to start the process of clearing these backlogs. I want a plan, to be followed by legislation that requires every rape kit to be investigated.

Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Arizona legislature
Jan 11, 2016

Doug Ducey:
Move to community based corrections and counselling

And, if we're serious about reducing recidivism--and reversing the growth of our prison population, let's begin by building on the model already working in Pima County: a community corrections center, providing tough love and on-site drug treatment and
counselling.

It's time we bring this to the state's largest county, where the most people are transitioning back to life in our community. Let's give them a second chance so they stay clean and never end up back in prison.

Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Arizona legislature
Jan 11, 2016

Frank Riggs:
Endorsed as former cop & prosecutor

Frank Riggs, a former California Congressman who wants to be Arizona's next governor, is "proud" to have the support of recalled State Senator and scandal-magnet, Russell Pearce. Riggs' news release quotes Pearce as saying, "After long and serious
deliberation, I'm proud to support former police officer and U.S. Congressman Frank Riggs for Governor. I know Frank Riggs will use all the means at his disposal to defend our border and protect our citizens from the costs and damages associated with
illegal immigration and border crimes by those who break our laws."

But even conservatives like Riggs can't be very proud of Pearce's Fiesta Bowl scandal or the sham candidate he appears to have fielded in the 2011 recall campaign. Riggs says it's true
that "recall elections are tricky." Riggs adds that as a former police officer and deputy sheriff, he feels a professional kinship with Pearce, also a former deputy sheriff.

Jan Brewer:
Reduce crime by punishing criminals

Crime and violence in Arizona continue to trend downward.
Arizonans have reduced crime by punishing criminals, and not by infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Source: 2013 State of the State Address to Arizona Legislature
Jan 14, 2013

Jan Brewer:
In State Legislature, pushed truth in sentencing

Brewer spent 14 years in the Arizona State Legislature, first as a state representative from 1983 to 1986, and then as state senator from 1987 to 1996. Brewer helped to win passage of numerous landmark reforms that continue to serve millions of
Arizonans today, including tax relief and budget reform; truth in sentencing; open enrollment, school report cards, and charter schools; clean air and water legislation and state trust land preservation.

Source: Arizona Secretary of State website
Dec 3, 2008

Jane Dee Hull:
$1.1M to collect DNA samples from all prisoners

We are applying new technology to protect our citizens. Last year, we enacted a bill to obtain DNA samples from persons convicted of murder, burglary and crimes causing serious injury. DNA is our cutting edge tool for solving crimes.
That is why I am recommending $1.1 million to collect and analyze blood samples from virtually all state prisoners.

Source: 2001 State of the State address to the Arizona legislature
Jan 8, 2001